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Hieromartyr17th century

Hieromartyr Gabriel I Patriarch of Serbia

c. 1605/1610 – 1659

Also known as Gabriel Raicha

Patriarch of Serbia who sought aid for his Church under Ottoman pressure and was later martyred.

August 30New Calendar
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September 12Old Calendar
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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Gabriel I, Patriarch of Serbia

Life

Gabriel I (Serbian: Gavrilo I), of the noble Rajić family, was born around 1605–1610 in the Stari Vlah region of present-day Serbia. He entered church service, rose through the hierarchy of the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć, and served as Patriarch of Serbia from 1648 to 1655. He is venerated as a hieromartyr, having been executed at Bursa in 1659 after refusing an Ottoman demand to embrace Islam.

His tenure fell within the period of the restored Serbian Patriarchate (1557–1766) under Ottoman rule, a time of recurrent material hardship for the Serbian Church. Seeking support, Gabriel traveled to Russia in the mid-1650s, where he was received at the highest levels of church and state and remained for several years before returning to Ottoman territory, where he was tried and put to death.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide
TroparionTone 4

In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith,
an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence;
your humility exalted you;
your poverty enriched you.
Hierarch Father Gabriel,
entreat Christ our God
that our souls may be saved.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline7 momentsReadHide
  1. c. 1605–1610Birth in Stari VlahBorn into the noble Rajić family in the Stari Vlah region of present-day Serbia.
  2. 1643Metropolitan of RaškaAfter serving as Metropolitan of Smederevo, he was elected Metropolitan of Raška.
  3. c. 1644Rebuilding of Kovilje monasteryHe rebuilt the Monastery of the Holy Archangels in the Kovilje Mountains.
  4. 1648Elected Patriarch of SerbiaFollowing the death of Patriarch Pajsije I in 1647, Gabriel was elected patriarch in 1648, serving the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć until 1655 between Pajsije I and Maksim I.
  5. 1653–1654Journey to RussiaHe set out to seek material support for the Serbian Patriarchate, passing through Wallachia — where at Târgoviște he attempted to reconcile Prince Matei Basarab with Cossack Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky — and traveling on to Russia in 1654, bringing two books intended for printing.
  6. 1658Moscow SynodHe participated in the Moscow Synod that approved the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, and subsequently decided to remain in Russia.
  7. 1659Martyrdom at BursaReturning to the Ottoman Empire in 1659, he was accused over the Russo-Turkish War and of seeking to convert Turks to Christianity. Ordered to embrace Islam, he refused and was executed at Bursa on July 18, 1659.

Contributions & Legacy

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Rise through the Serbian hierarchy

Gabriel entered church service and advanced through the episcopate of the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć. He became Metropolitan of Smederevo and, in 1643, was elected Metropolitan of Raška. Around 1644 he rebuilt the Monastery of the Holy Archangels in the Kovilje Mountains.

After the death of Patriarch Pajsije I in 1647, Gabriel was elected patriarch in 1648. He held the office until 1655, succeeding Pajsije I and preceding Maksim I in the line of restored patriarchs of Peć (1557–1766).

Mission to Russia

In 1653 Gabriel resolved to travel to Russia to seek material support for the hard-pressed Serbian Patriarchate. According to the account, he met Metropolitan Arsenije of Herzegovina on Christmas Eve, then proceeded to Wallachia, reaching Târgoviște, where he attempted to reconcile Wallachian Prince Matei Basarab with the Cossack Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

Traveling on to Russia in 1654, he carried two books intended for printing: the Lives of Serbian Emperors and Patriarchs and the Typikon against Latin Heresy of Saint Nil Kabasilas. He was received by the Russian Patriarch Nikon and the tsar. In 1658 he took part in the Moscow Synod that approved Nikon's reforms, and afterward decided to remain in Russia.

Martyrdom and veneration

Gabriel returned to the Ottoman Empire in 1659, where he was accused of bearing responsibility for the Russo-Turkish War and of attempting to convert Turks to Christianity. Brought before tribunals and ordered to embrace Islam, he refused.

He was executed at Bursa on July 18, 1659. The presbyter Pavle retrieved and buried his remains. He is venerated by the Orthodox Church as a hieromartyr and was canonized as a saint of the Serbian Orthodox Church; his feast is kept on December 13, with August 30 also appearing in the calendar.

Member ofReadHide
Synaxis of the Serbian Hierarchs
Commemorated together · Aug 30
Related Saints3 saintsShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

Commemorated with him among the Serbian hierarchs on August 30.
Saint Savva IIIArchbishop of Serbia
An earlier primate of Serbia, commemorated with him among the Serbian hierarchs on August 30.
Saint SpyridonPatriarch of Serbia
An earlier patriarch of Serbia, commemorated with him among the Serbian hierarchs on August 30.
Saint MacariusPatriarch of Serbia

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints